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Challenge of the Super Friends
| genre = Adventure Fantasy Science fiction Superhero | creator = E. Nelson Bridwell Carmine Infantino Julius Schwartz (consultants) | writer = Jeffrey Scott | director = Ray Patterson Carl Urbano | creative_director = Iwao Takamoto | voices = Jack Angel Marlene Aragon Lewis Bailey Michael Bell Bill Callaway Ted Cassidy Melanie Chartoff Henry Corden Faye Dunnaway Robert Duvall Al Fann Harrison Ford Ruth Forman Bob Hastings Bob Holt Buster Jones Stanley Jones Casey Kasem Roger Loggia Malcolm McDowell Don Messick Sam Neil Judd Nelson Vic Perrin Renny Roker Charles Nelson Reilly Stanley Ross Dick Ryal Michael Rye Olan Soule Jimmy Weldon Frank Welker Liberty Williams | narrated = William Woodson | theme_music_composer = Leonard Rosenman Jerry Goldsmith | composer = John Barry Alexander Courage Jerry Goldsmith | country = United States | language = English | num_seasons = 2 | num_episodes = 16 | list_episodes = List of Super Friends episodes | executive_producer = William Hanna Joseph Barbera Francis Ford Coppola Steven Spielberg | producer = Don Jurwich | editor = Larry C. Cowan (supervising editor) | cinematography = George Epperson Tom Epperson Charles Flekal Ron Jackson Jerry Smith Larry Smith Terry Smith Brandy Whittington Jerry Whittington | company = Hanna-Barbera Productions DC Comics American Zoetrope | distributor = Warner Bros. Television Distribution | runtime = 60 minutes (including commercials) | network = ABC | first_aired = September 9, 1978 | last_aired = December 23, 1978 | preceded_by = The All-New Super Friends Hour | followed_by = The World's Greatest Super Friends }} Challenge of the Superfriends is an American animated television series about a team of superheroes which ran from September 9, 1978, to December 23, 1978, on ABC. The complete series (16 episodes) was produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions and American Zoetrope for Warner Bros. Television and is based on the Justice League and associated comic book characters published by DC Comics and created by Julius Schwartz, Gardner Fox and Mike Sekowsky. It was the third series of Super Friends cartoons, following the original ''Super Friends'' in 1973 and The All-New Super Friends Hour in 1977. It continued to air on Boomerang in the United States until February 2, 2009. Format First segment As originally aired, this season an adventure with Superman, Batman and Robin, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, and the Wonder Twins, similar to those that had aired the previous season in The All-New Super Friends Hour. Thanks to these episodes being shown using the opening credits of the All-New Super Friends Hour in syndication. Second segment The second segment of this season featured Challenge of the Super Friends was a 16 episode series that came the closest to the comic books. Not only did Challenge have the Justice League of America, it was the first official Super Friends series to feature DC Super Villains from the comics. And this series had 13 of them together as an alliance called the Legion of Doom. Superman foes like Lex Luthor, Brainiac, Toyman, and Bizarro, and Batman foes like the Riddler and Scarecrow. The Legion of Doom dwelled in a murky swamp and launched their attacks for global conquest from a sinister looking, swamp-based, mechanical, flying headquarters, called the Hall of Doom (which resembled Darth Vader’s helmet) as a suitable contrast with the Super Friends' gleaming Hall of Justice. Every week, the Legion schemed to either get rid of or destroy the Super Friends so they can conquer the world. The Super Friends themselves consisted of 11 Justice League heroes. the first segment alone being used with the Challenge of Super Friends opening, and confused references to the show it is often mistakenly believed that the first and second segments were two separate shows. Production background Early development When the Challenge of the Super Friends season was originally conceived, it was named "Battle of the Super Friends" and featured the introduction of Captain Marvel to the Super Friends. The group that challenged the heroes was called the "League of Evil", led by Marvel's nemesis Doctor Sivana. However, Filmation produced Shazam! and The New Adventures of Batman which prevented the use of characters such as Mister Atom, King Kull, Beautia Sivana, Joker, Penguin, Mr. Freeze, and Catwoman. Early conceptual art drawn by Alex Toth would also include Heat Wave, Poison Ivy, and Abra Kadabra. Narration, music and character designs Bill Woodson provides the uncredited voice of the narrator in Challenge of the Super Friends, and the opening narration was by Stanley Jones. The show's main theme and original music was composed and arranged by musical director Hoyt Curtin. The music supervisor was Paul DeKorte. Character designs for this particular Super Friends series were done by Andre LeBlanc. Team composition experimentation Hanna-Barbera's writers experimented with team composition as well. Challenge of the Super Friends added The Flash (Barry Allen), Green Lantern (Hal Jordan), and Hawkman (Katar Hol) who were members of the Justice League of America, as well as several new characters: Black Vulcan (who was based on the DC Comics character Black Lightning), Apache Chief, and Samurai. These characters were created to add racial and cultural diversity to the show (this was also mentioned in some of the episode introduction extras on the first two Challenge of the Super Friends DVDs). Lineups Super Friends/Justice League of America Eleven heroes make up the Super Friends/Justice League of America. They are: Legion of Doom Thirteen villains comprise the Legion of Doom during the Challenge of the Super Friends season. They are: Despite the claim in the program's title sequence that the Legion's members hail from "remote galaxies", only Brainiac and Sinestro are extraterrestrials; the remaining members are all natives of Earth (Even though Bizarro called Bizarro World home he was created by Lex Luthor via duplicator ray on Earth technically making him a 'native' of Earth). Solomon Grundy is a zombie, an animated dead person, as the episode Monolith of Evil makes clear. In History of Doom, even Solomon Grundy supposedly dies from the solar flare. Voices * Jack Angel – Samurai), Fort Knox Guard (in "Wanted: The Super Friends"), , Soldier (in "Super Friends: Rest in Peace") * Marlene Aragon – Cheetah, Queen of Hearts (in "Fairy Tale of Doom"), Hera (in "Battle of the Gods") * Lewis Bailey – Captain Parkhouse (in "Doomsday"), Yerba's right hand man (in "Conquerors of the Future) * Michael Bell – Riddler, Gleek, Fearians (in "Invasion of the Fearians"), Rom-Lock (in "Terror From the Phantom Zone"), Young Lex Luthor (in "History of Doom"), Robot Outlaw (in "Batman: Dead or Alive") * John Belushi - Professor Reed (in "The Rise and Fall of the Superfriends"), Frankenstein Monster (in "The Rise and Fall of the Superfriends") * Brian Blessed - Rokan (in "Rokan: Enemy from Space"), Mort (in "Conquerors of the Future") * Matthew Broderick - Superboy (in "History of Doom"), Flash (in "Wanted: The SuperFriends), Torahna (in "The World Beneath the Ice") * Bill Callaway – Bizarro, The Capricorn Kid (in "Batman: Dead or Alive"), Bizarro Alfred Pennyworth (in "Wanted: The Super Friends"), Robot Gangsters (in "The Rise and Fall of the Superfriends") * Veronica Cartwright - Young Giganta (in "History of Doom"), Sooba (in "History of Doom") * Ted Cassidy – Brainiac, Black Manta, Barlocks (in "Conquerors from the Future"), Diamond Exchange Man (in "Super Friends: Rest in Peace"), British soldier (in "The Giants of Doom"), Gorilla Guard (in "Revenge on Gorilla City") * Melanie Chartoff – Witch (in "Swamp of the Living Dead") * Henry Corden – Dr. Varga (in "Invasion of the Brain Creatures"), Brain Creature Leader (in "Invasion of the Brain Creatures"), North Pole Scientist (in "Invasion of the Brains Creatures") * Danny Dark – Commissioner James Gordon (in "Super Friends: Rest in Peace"), Man in Car (in "Monolith of Evil"), Radar Engineer (in "Doomsday"), U.S. Mint Guard (in "Wanted: The Super Friends"), Darkon's Robot Soldiers (in "The Demons of Exxor") * Faye Dunnaway - Wonder Woman, Medusa (in "Battle of the Gods") * Robert Duvall - Hawkman * Shannon Farnon – Aphrodite (in "Secret Origins of the Super Friends"), Hippolyta, Swiss Scientist (in "Attack of the Vampire"), Simora (in "Conquerors of the Future"), Raymara (in "The World Beneath the Ice"), Dr. Brooks (in "Invasion of the Brain Creatures") * Harrison Ford - Superman * Ruth Forman – Giganta * Bob Hastings – Pied Piper/Space Genius (in "The Pied Piper from Space") * Bob Holt – Count Dracula (in "Attack of the Vampire"),Ozar (in "The World Beneath the Ice"), Correl (in "The World Beneath the Ice"), Telegraph Operator (in "Batman: Dead or Alive"), Robot Outlaw (in "Batman: Dead or Alive"), Zeus (in "Battle of the Gods"), Invisible Man (in "Battle of the Gods") * William Hootkins - Logar (in "Terror From the Phantom Zone"), Gormack (in "The World Beneath the Ice"), Solovar (in "Revenge on Gorilla City"), * Buster Jones – Black Vulcan, U.N. Representative (in "Trial of the Super Friends"), Plutonium Plant Guard (in "Swamp of the Living Dead"), Skier (in "Fairy Tale of Doom"), Galactic Policeman (in "Doomsday"), Admiral Brighton (in "Sinbad and the Space Pirates") * Stanley Jones – Opening Narration, Caesar (in "The Time Trap"), Evil Being (in "Swamp of the Living Dead"), Giant (in "Fairy Tale of Doom"), Hul (in "Terror from the Phantom Zone"), Sinbad (in "Sinbad and the Space Pirates"), Fort Knox Guard (in "Wanted: The Super Friends"), Knight (in "The Time Trap"), Townsman #2 (in "Trial of the Super Friends"), Gorilla Guard (in "Revenge on Gorilla City"), Scotland Yard Man (in "Conquerors of the Future"), Manatoo (in "History of Doom"), Toran (in "The Incredible Space Circus") * Casey Kasem – JLA Computer, Colorado Soldier (in "Super Friends: Rest in Peace"), Man from Parthenon (in "The Giants of Doom"), Space Pirate (in "Sinbad and the Space Pirates"), Swiss Scientist (in "Attack of the Vampire"), Subway Switchman (in "Conquerors of the Future"), Likan (in "Conquerors of the Future") * Christopher Lee - Jor-El (in "Secret Origins of the Super Friends"), Lord Darkon (in "Demons of Exxor"), Camelot Knight (in "The Time Trap") * Robert Loggia - Lex Luthor, Jonathan Kent (in "Secret Origins of the Super Friends") * Malcolm McDowell - Robin, Professor Charleston (in "The Rise and Fall of the Superfriends") * Don Messick – Scarecrow, Sinestro (later episodes), Astronaut #2 (in "Giants of Doom"), Domed City Ruler (in "Conquerors from the Future"), Fear-Gassed Gorilla (in "Revenge on Gorilla City"), Vartoo (in "The Final Challenge"), Mocking Kryptonian (in "Secret Origins of the Super Friends"), Ground Quake Kryptonian (in "Secret Origins of the Super Friends"), Plutonium Plant Guard (in "Swamp of the Living Dead"), White Rabbit (in "Fairy Tale of Doom") * Sam Neil - Aquaman * Judd Nelson - Flash * Gregory Peck - Rayno (in "History of Doom"), Captain Nemo (in "Fairy Tale of Doom") * Vic Perrin – Sinestro (in "Invasion of the Fearians" and "The Time Trap"), Dr. Starns (in "The Anti-Matter Monster"), Turkish Engineer (in "The Anti-Matter Monster"), Brain Creature (in "Invasion of the Brain Creatures") * Charles Nelson Reilly - Zan, Pete (in "Trial of the Super Friends") * Renny Roker – U.N. Representative (in "The Pied Piper from Space") * Stanley Ralph Ross – Gorilla Grodd, Nar-Tan (in "Doomsday"), Old Indian (in "History of Doom"), Darkon's Robot Soldiers (in "The Demons of Exxor"), Space Pirate (in "Sinbad and the Space Pirates"), Minotaur (in "Battle of the Gods") * Dick Ryal – Captain Cold, Hall of Doom Computer, Abin Sur (in "Secret Origins of the Super Friends"), Captain Nemo's Sailor (in "Fairy Tale of Doom"), Gorilla Tracker (in "Revenge on Gorilla City") * Michael Rye – Green Lantern, Apache Chief, Astronaut #1 (in "Giants of Doom"), Yerba (in "Conquerors from the Future"), Plutonium Plant Guard (in "Swamp of the Living Dead"), Sinbad's First Mate (in "Sinbad and the Space Pirates") * John Ratzenberger - Vol (in "Demons of Exxor"), Darkon's Robot Soldiers (in "The Demons of Exxor") * William Shatner - Pierre Marcel (in "Battle at the Earth's Core"),, Professor Nikaido (in "Journey Through Inner Space" * Olan Soule – Batman, Astronaut (in "The World's Deadliest Game"), Fort Knox Guard (in "Wanted: The Super Friends"), Scientist (in "The Time Trap"), Townsman #1 (in "Trial of the Super Friends"), Space Pirate (in "Sinbad and the Space Pirates"), Subway Engineer (in "Conquerors of the Future"), Train Passenger (in "Conquerors of the Future") * Takei] - Dr. Tomokawa (in "Journey Through Inner Space"), Japanese Distress Caller (in "Monolith of Evil") * David Warner - Admiral Hubbard (in "Doomsday"), Dr. Willardson (in "The Incredible Space Circus") * Sigourney Weaver - Empress Zana (in "The World's Deadliest Game"), Lois Lane (in "Super Friends: Rest in Peace") * Jimmy Weldon – Solomon Grundy, Sphinx (in "Battle of the Gods") * Frank Welker – Toyman, Lilliputians (in "Fairy Tale of Doom"), Mister Mxyzptlk (in "The Rise and Fall of the Super Friends"), Wind-Up Baby (in "The World's Deadliest Game"), Wind-Up Cat (in "The World's Deadliest Game"), Gorilla Child (in "Revenge on Gorilla City") * Liberty Williams – Jayna, Aphrodite (in "Battle of the Gods") * Bill Woodson – Narrator, Perry White (in "Super Friends: Rest in Peace"), Sheriff (in "Batman: Dead or Alive") Episodes DVD release Warner Home Video (via DC Entertainment, Hanna-Barbera Cartoons and Warner Bros. Family Entertainment) originally released this season of Super Friends on two separate DVDs on June 1, 2004, the first one being Challenge of the Super Friends: Attack of the Legion of Doom, which featured the "Challenge" segments, and the second being Challenge of the Super Friends: United They Stand, which featured the Super Friends segments. Both DVDs only featured four episodes. The first season with the Challenge episodes was re-released as Challenge of the Super Friends: The First Season on July 6, 2004. The second one with the Super Friends episodes was named Super Friends: Volume Two and was re-released on May 24, 2005. Spoofs Cartoon Network produced a couple of commercials spoofing Challenge of the Super Friends. * One dealt with the idiosyncratic nature of the Legion of Doom and Brainiac's odd manner of dress (Brainiac: "Look, I just want some pants...a decent pair of pants!" Solomon Grundy: "Solomon Grundy want pants, too!"). * The second, co-starring The Powerpuff Girls, dealt with Aquaman's powers (Aquaman: "My ability to talk to fish is of no use to us, Wonder Woman!") as well as the level of violence compared to today's cartoons, as Wonder Woman and Aquaman look away while the Powerpuff Girls beat up the Legion of Doom, going so far as to set the Scarecrow on fire. Most notably was Bubbles' double-entendre reply to Wonder Woman's compliment on how they were developing as superheroes. "Someday we'll be as developed as you." Lex Luthor, as a villain with a dirty mind, began laughing. His underlings understood the joke and laughed as well. When a piece of the Hall of Doom's ceiling fell on Luthor's head, everyone laughed. In 2003, Cartoon Network Latin America aired the spoof series The Aquaman & Friends Action Hour that starred Aquaman as a children's television show host and the Legion of Doom as his bankrupt villains. ''Legends of the Superheroes'' The two NBC televised live-action specials of Legends of the Superheroes produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions was based largely on Challenge of the Super Friends while featuring Adam West, Burt Ward, and Frank Gorshin of the 1966 Batman television series fame (West would go on to voice Batman in Super Friends: The Legendary Super Powers Show and The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians). The Justice League starred Batman, Robin, Captain Marvel, Flash, Green Lantern, Hawkman, Huntress, and Black Canary against the Legion of Doom which featured Mordru leading Doctor Sivana, Riddler, Giganta, Sinestro, Weather Wizard, and Solomon Grundy (Superman, Wonder Woman, and their associate characters were absent due to the Superman film and Wonder Woman television series licensing the rights, respectively). ''DC Super Friends'' Despite using the main theme from The World's Greatest Super Friends, the 2010 DC Super Friends "The Joker's Playhouse" shares several elements of its opening sequence with Challenge of the Super Friends including introducing the Legion of Doom. ''Robot Chicken DC Comics Special'' The opening sequence of the Robot Chicken DC Comics Special parodies the opening of Challenge of the Super Friends with the Legion of Doom substituted for Robot Chicken original characters Chicken, Mad Scientist, Nerd, Humping Robot, Composite Santa, Gummy Bear, the Unicorn, and Bitch Puddin'. The Legion of Doom, Hall of Doom, and Hall of Justice also feature prominently in the episode. References Featured link * Challenge of the Super Friends at Big Cartoon DataBase * Cartoon Network: DOC – Challenge of The Superfriends – cached copy from Internet Archives External links * * * Challenge of the Super Friends @ Legions of Gotham Category:1978 American television series debuts Category:1978 American television series endings Category:1970s American animated television series Category:1970s American science fiction television series Category:American children's animated action television series Category:American children's animated adventure television series Category:American children's animated science fantasy television series Category:American Broadcasting Company network shows Category:Animated television programs based on DC Comics Category:Television series by Hanna-Barbera Category:Television series set in 1978 Category:Television series set in the 4th millennium Category:Animated Batman television series Category:Animated Justice League television series Category:Animated Superman television series Category:Wonder Woman in other media Category:Super Friends Category:Television series scored by John Barry (composer) Category:Television series scored by Alexander Courage Category:Television series scored by Jerry Goldsmith Category:Television series scored by Leonard Rosenman Category:Films produced by Francis Ford Coppola Category:Films produced by Steven Spielberg